1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transparent conductive material and a transparent conductor using the same.
2. Related Background Art
A transparent electrode is used for a display device, such as an LCD, a PDP, an organic EL and a touch panel. The transparent electrode is often constituted of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (hereinafter abbreviated as “ITO”). An ITO electrode formed by sputtering deposition has been used as the transparent electrode. Meanwhile, a coating method to prepare an ITO electrode has also drawn attention, because it can impart a property such as high flexibility not attainable by an ITO electrode obtained by a sputtering method. However, conventional transparent ITO electrodes obtained by the coating method has tendency that, when placed in a high temperature and/or high humidity environment, the electric resistance is increased by oxygen or moisture in the atmosphere, which is a cause of reduced reliability.
In this regard, the present inventors have disclosed a transparent conductive material including a transparent conductive particle and a curable compound (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2006-059722, 2006-092869 and 2006-185865), in order to provide a transparent conductor (transparent conductive material) exhibiting little change in electric resistance in a high temperature and/or high humidity environment (hereinafter referred to as “under high temperature and humidity”).
With the aforementioned transparent conductive material, an increase in electric resistance due to influence of moisture under high temperature and humidity can be adequately suppressed. However, due to recent expanding applications of a transparent electrode, usability under severer conditions than before (e.g. under an environment of 60° C. and 95% RH or 85° C. and 85% RH) has been demanded. A transparent conductive material has therefore been requested, which can suppress an increase in resistance value under high temperature and humidity more strongly than before.
The present invention has been made under such circumstances, with an object to provide a transparent conductive material with little change in resistance value under influence of temperature or humidity, and a transparent conductive membrane using the same.